


It's Hard Being Left Behind

by liseuse



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-31
Updated: 2010-05-31
Packaged: 2017-10-09 20:05:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/91043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liseuse/pseuds/liseuse





	It's Hard Being Left Behind

  
This was not, Remus considered over a mug of tea, the best birthday he had ever had. Somehow, being the only person left in London because everyone else was away on missions, and you were still recovering from the moon, rather dampened the birthday spirit. It had the tendency to make you feel selfish because mixed in with the worry (and how dreadful was it that he was so used to this worry that it occupied only the space between _drat we're out of soap_ and _I wonder if that soup will be any good for dinner_) was the wish that Dumbledore hadn't sent everyone on missions and that they could all be celebrating right now. Reading Julian of Norwich in the search of clues was not relieving the general air of _Oh for fuck's sake_ that had overtaken his birthday, instead the constant references to blood and God were merely making him more tetchy. That woman, he thought, had a bloody problem. Hah, bloody. Apparently, Remus thought, he needed to spend less time with Sirius. A fondness for truly dreadful puns was obviously catching.

"It's not as if," Remus said to the kettle as he set it on the stove and lit the gas ring, "I expect to be showered with presents. I'm not asking for everyone to start singing at me everywhere I go, or to drench me in glitter. I'd just," he paused and looked contemplatively at the tea bag, "like it, if for once, there wasn't at least one person missing on someone's birthday. Or, in fact, everyone." Rolling his eyes slightly, he moved towards the bread bin, "I mean, I can't see that this mission will come to anything. And Lil' could have stayed home. Or Sirius. Or Pete." He looked hard at the piece of bread he had in his hand, "I mean, Jamie wouldn't have given it up for the world. The fuckers might have done for his parents after all. Just ... someone."

The door clicked open, but Remus failed to notice it because the kettle chose that moment to start whistling. "I don't even want a party. I thought we'd get Chinese and play Scrabble, or get Lil' and Sirius to start arguing about music. Or get Pete to try and explain football to Prongs again."

"Talking to yourself again? It's a sign of madness you know."

Remus jumped about a foot in the air, and went for his wand on reflex. As he spun round he saw Sirius lounging against the doorjamb, grinning.

"Padfoot? What the fuck are you doing here? I thought you were in Lithuania? You haven't got injured again have you, because I've used up all of Pomfrey's balm."

"Nice to see you too." Sirius raised an eyebrow and Remus grinned slightly.

"Sorry. Nice to see you and all that. But really, why the fuck are you here?" Remus poured water into a mug, and opened the cupboard and looked enquiringly at Sirius.

"Tea'd be lovely mate."

Remus exhaled heavily and found another mug. Sometimes, he considered, Sirius could be a right royal pain. Squeezing the tea-bags against the side of the mugs and dropping them onto the plate they reserved for such things, he picked the mugs up and plonked them on the table.

"Just thought I'd come home for your birthday. 'Sides, the Lithuanian lot had it all under control. Prongs has gone home, Lil' had to drop some paperwork into St. Mungo's and Pete went to see Fi'." Sirius shrugged his cloak off and went and stood in front of Remus, leaning a hip on the table. "Don't look like that. No one's forgotten your birthday Moonshine."

"I told you to stop calling me that." Remus glared. "Bloody ridiculous excuse for a nickname."

"But when I use it you get that crinkle in between your eyes. It's endearing." Sirius leaned forward and dropped a kiss on the selfsame crinkle.

Remus smiled. "Still a bloody stupid nickname." Then he tipped his head up, and lifting an arm, cupped Sirius' head in his hand, guiding him down for a proper kiss. "No one's forgotten you say?"

"Don't be daft. Lil's got that calendar remember." Sirius picked up Remus' mug and took a sip. "Yeurgh!" he exclaimed, "you'll rot your teeth drinking it like that."

Remus did remember the calendar. Pete had given Lil' it last Christmas and charmed it to flash obnoxiously in the days running up to an important date. Sleeping on Lil' and James' sofa was nigh on impossible when that thing was going. "Shut up. I've seen you eat sugar on toast remember."

"Only when I was ill."

"Bollocks." Remus snorted. "You'd eat it for breakfast if I let you. Besides, I'm enjoying being able to afford sugar."

Sirius' face darkened, and he opened his mouth to speak. Before he could start in on the familiar, _but still oh so tiresome_, rant, Remus jumped in. "So. Birthday. I mean, I don't like to be pushy, but it's getting on for tea-time, and if we don't get something sorted ..."

Sirius leaned further into Remus, taking his hands and pulling him off the chair. "Fancy a dinner out? Birthday treat on me?"

"There are things I'd rather do," Remus smiled and walked Sirius back until he was stood against the kitchen counter, and Remus was lounging along him. "Things that involve not leaving the house, and that do involve arriving at the pub breathless, and a little bit red and you blushing every time I lick my finger after eating a crisp." Remus pressed in against Sirius, slipping one hand behind him to play with the skin beneath the waistband of Sirius' boxers, and started to undo Sirius' shirt buttons with the other.

"You," Sirius said a little breathlessly, "are a raging addict. An addict to my skin!" He sounded triumphant on the last part of the sentence.

"Yes." Remus said dryly, "I just cannot get enough of you."

"I always knew it Moonshine." Sirius grinned and started to move backwards, using his free hand to feel his way around the table, and his other to drag Remus along with him by his belt loops.

Remus raised an eyebrow and toed off his shoes as they reached the bedroom doorway. "Of course you did. That's why you broke Gideon's nose when you caught us snogging."

"Bloody blond tart." Sirius grumbled under his breath and reluctantly let go of Remus' belt loops long enough to shove his trousers off, getting stuck on his shoes until he realised he hadn't removed his boots yet.

"How old are you Sirius Orion Black? Unable to remember that shoes come off before trousers? Honestly." Remus grinned, and stepped out of his own trousers, not gracefully exactly but with a sight more elegance than Sirius had managed. Looking over at Sirius he stopped in his tracks, as he watched Sirius carefully remove his shirt. One button at a time, slower than slow and with a lascivious grin accompanying it. "Ah well. As long as you've got shirt removal mastered." His voice cracked slightly and Sirius walked over to him and started undoing Remus' shirt as well.

"Oh I've got it mastered." Sirius smiled slowly, and Remus' stomach flipped at the danger he saw in it. It was easy, he thought, to think of Sirius as nothing more than an overgrown bundle of puppyish energy and a penchant for loud music, strong booze and pick-up Quidditch on a Saturday. All too easy to forget the cruel streak.

"Oy. Wakey wakey Lupin." Sirius raised an eyebrow and looked disapprovingly at Remus, "we were in the middle of something remember? Or do you want to stop? 'Cause if so, I'm sure Liz in the corner shop'd be interested."

"She's eighty you berk, and married. I was just thinking."

"I'm not doing this right then." Sirius paused and looked at Remus thoughtfully. "How could I improve? Ah, I know, we could get you out of your pants and onto the bed. That'd do nicely. Strip." The 'strip' was accompanied with a definitive nod and Remus suppressed something he thought might come shamefully close to a giggle, and shucked his underwear off. Sirius took advantage of his momentary lack of focus to sweep his leg under Remus' and land Remus on the bed.

"Ooof. You berk." Remus laughed, sounding rather less than angry.

Sirius shoved his own underwear down and laid himself down on top of Remus so they were flush. "We don't have much time remember. Didn't want to wait for you to fold all your damn clothes."

"That's you not me. You just blame me. I should tell Jamie. He'd mock you." Remus smiled and brought his tongue out to lick Sirius' upper lip.

"Prongs would never mock me. He is a true friend and has none of your lack of morals." Sirius pulled Remus' head up so they could kiss properly and shuddered as Remus ran a hand over his ribs.

"Oh really," Remus mumbled into Sirius' jaw as he ran little light kisses up and down, "I must have known a different Prongs all through school then. Because the one I know mocks endlessly and has less morals than you."

Sirius arched into the kisses and thrust his hips impatiently into the crook formed by Remus' splayed knees. "Evans' fault. She's leading him astray."

Remus giggled, unashamedly, as Sirius slipped a hand between the two of them and took hold of Remus' cock. "Ah. I see. I'll believe you. Thousands wouldn't."

Sirius began to stroke up and down, with no distinguishable rhythm, "What say we stop talking about Prongs and his missus?"

"Oh God!" Remus' hips lifted off the bed as he cried out. "Sounds good to me."

\--

"Happy Birthday Moony!" James and Pete clapped as Remus and Sirius walked into the pub, and Lily ran over holding a pint. Lifting it up high she called out "Three cheers for the birthday boy!"

"HIP HIP HOORAH! HIP HIP HOORAH! HIP HIP HOORAH!" The whole pub cried out, and Remus blushed the colour of a beetroot.

"Thank you." He laughed and slid into the corner booth that Lily, he assumed, had decked out with a banner and balloons.

"Happy Birthday Moony," James leaned over the table to shake his hand. "Sorry we weren't there all day. You know how it is."

"Not a problem Prongsie!" Sirius' voice boomed out. "Kept him occupied and all that."

"Nice game of draughts I assume?" Lily asked, voice as innocent as the new driven snow.

Remus bit his lip and directed his gaze at the presents whilst Sirius replied, "Croquet actually. Sticks and balls being more fun than draughts." Sirius turned to look at Remus and blinked, managing to make it look obscene.

"Okay okay," Pete burst in. "Presents now. Save the innuendo for later you two. I need more booze in me before I can take it, and Remus is looking longingly at the gifts."

"I was not looking 'longingly'. I was curious as to what on earth something got me that's hexagonal." Remus objected, "And anyway the only reason you want me to open presents is because you can only hold your end up with those two when you're sloshed."

"Got me. Got me. Felled by one Mr. Lupin." Pete laughed and, slapping Remus on the back, went off to the bar.

\--

Remus and Sirius stumbled up the stairs to their flat, several hours and what felt like hundreds of drinks, later. Shoving the key into the lock Sirius weaved into the kitchen, and propped himself up against the kitchen cabinets.

"Happy Birthday Remus."


End file.
